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IMHO...a sunroof on a 240Z is up there with a gaudy tattoo and a first wife. All regrettable decisions in hindsight. Should you have a desire to feel the wind in your hair while driving a Datsun, get one of these:

I just figured he wanted to keep it original, grey and wrinkly.

I have one. Just send me the chunk of metal from your roof in exchange, and I'll send it your way.

Happy Easter Phillip! To all the rest too...

I think Star Trek may have led the way to the term “Jumping the shark” Fur sure. Phil Smith

Blue....The rear side seals are easy if you 1) Apply sealant sparingly as shown in the factory service manual. 2) Align the rear bearing cap (with sealant applied, but no side seals yet). 3) pull down the rear bearing cap until you are 3/4” from bottoming 4) install each side seal and push all the way down till it bottoms out against the block. 5) pull down the rear bearing cap with the two bolts until it bottoms out. 6) Torque all bottoms end caps sequentially (starting in the middle and working out) until torque specs are met. This will pull down the side seals securely without creating a blockage by pushing the side seals against the sealant. Finally, put a small dab of sealant on the top of the side seals before installing the pan. Guy

(Post starts on page before) Despite feeling somewhat rubbish having been getting over a virus we were accepted to take part in the members parade on Saturday morning, which while it was very much a parade was good fun. I got to at least open the car up along the pit straight out of the chicane and we heard our car being talked out over the radio so will be on the look out for the days coverage when it gets released by Goodwood. We also managed to blag circuit parking on the Sunday given how shocking the car park fields were there was no way we wanted to go anywhere near them so the car got some more expose and a fair bit of attention as well. With the weekends awful weather it was also the first snow the car has seen with us which made for some good pictures! IMG_5355 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr IMG_5408 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr IMG_5410 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr IMG_5437 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr IMG_5422 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr IMG_5464 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr IMG_5465 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr All cleaned up briefly from the weekend before being put away IMG_5468 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr Its fair to say the cars handling has transformed beyond belief and can now attack corners with far more speed and confidence, the BC's are set at very soft settings to keep things compliant so overall we're very happy with the results. Also having the adjustability that comes with the T3 control arms has meant the car is really sharp and responsive in a way that it never was. The only issues now to combat are the 1cm of play in the steering, which is linked to a worn lower UJ in the steering column. Some squeaky polybushes from the rear control arms are driving me made though! With the weather being the way it has though we've still not had a proper opportunity to really take the car out and put it more through its paces to get dialed in and familiarise ourselves with the changes. We had hoped to add anti roll bars in at the same time however unfortunately couldn't tie them in with the planned works, given the delay I've been talked into now going with Suspension Techniques anti roll bar kit which mounts off of the rear diff. In hindsight this seemed more appropriate rather than drilling holes in the chassis with no rear mounts fitted being an earlier car. On that note a big shout out to Mike and Chris on here who are both helping me out big time with getting them across the atlantic without incurring the extortionate postage quote that I received! They'll get put on in the coming months with other planned work. Any thoughts on the ride height? I'm thinking the rear could come still down a tad? IMG_5294 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr As usual I've said enough so I'll stop here, I am already working on the next stage of the project so more details will follow shortly!

Excellent. The coughing you're describing is a too rich mixture caused by too much choke. You've figured out that the choke can and should be adjusted to suit the conditions, ambient and engine temperatures. While I'm thinking about it, should you ever want to see if the fuel mixture is too lean (when the engine is warmed up) gradually pull the choke while you're SLOWLY accelerating. If you feel the power increase the mixture needs to be a bit richer. Drive it for a few days or until a new question arises. Oh yeah, have you driven by your old mechanic's shop yet?

Do remember that Cliff got a BUNCH of Fireball for the Holidays. Surely he hasn't finished it yet........well, maybe.......

There are a few things that would cause dark plugs at 2 1/2 turns. Nozzle?s are sticking in the down (choke on) position. You can manually push up the nozzles with the choke off to see if they're sticking. They should be all the way up with the choke off. Choke cable?s mis-adjusted and not allowing the nozzles?s to go all the up. Readjust choke cable clamps at carbs. Float?s adjusted too high. Easy way to tell is remove the tops and pistons. With the choke off, there should be no fuel above the small hole in the nozzle that the needle fits into. The fuel level should be below the hole. I've also seen nozzles stick down because of the little flat bar linkage that attaches to the nozzle on the bottom. If both mating surface on the ends of the linkage aren't exactly parallel to the other mating surfaces, the linkage will bind. It's easy to fix with a slight twist after careful scrutiny.

SOLVED!!! (And Happy Easter!) I just came back from a 30 minute drive and no more idle surge of any kind. I don’t know if it was the vacuum leak or the floppy unsecured throttle rod (or a combination of both) but the car is a pleasure to drive. I pulled plug 2 and 5 and if wondering if someone may provide feedback. I’m at 2 1/2 turns mixture on both carbs. Howard

Wait for the beverages to wear off before coming to the decision not to do it ....

Don't forget the heat lamps and fan's to complete the sun baking and hair messing experience of a sunroof!

OK, great news. I've found my one true love of all time. Back when I was young (you know, the stone ages), the very first car any one let me drive was a sweet little white 68 Envoy Epic. A friend and I were out for lunch on school day, and I said, "can I drive?" and he said "sure". I got one block before I decided the joy in my heart was so overwhelming that I had to pull over and let him have his car back. He seemed very anxious for me to stop driving for some reason. True story. I fell in love with it immediately. I was heart broken when I heard just days later that it was stolen from the dealer lot where it was in for service (very unusual!). His entire family was in mourning. They were doing their best to appear strong, and spent much of the day laughing and smiling as best as they could. How brave they were. They even exclaimed "thank god it's gone!" In a feeble attempt to feign remorse. Then miraculously, it was returned to the dealer! Apparently the thief couldn't live with himself when he realized how heartbroken the owner was with the loss of such a wonderous vehicle. Anyway on a chance kijiji browing session, I came across this gem. https://oldcarjunkie.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/another-epic-for-sale/ What an opportunity to return my REAL car roots and to own a true classic. All of my other cars are for sale at $5 each. First come first served. Get this junk out of here! Gotta make room for the true classic.

Can't fool you guys! For long....

Fonzie was the coolest when I was a kid. Aaaaaaaaay... and wru wru wru wrong...

Here is my experience with a stock 240 with 12 yr old Ztherapy carbs. On cold start up (after a sitting for a couple days) I pull my choke all of the way on while starting. Once it fires I reduce the amount of choke enough to let it idle at about 1200 rpm or so. As the car beginnings to warm the rpm’s tend to increase allowing me to reduce the amount of choke. Eventually I am able to completely shut off the choke and it idle in the 800-1000 range showing on the tach. Ps; running on a mechanical fuel pump. Good luck Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Busted. Sad part is the core story is 99% true... My first car love was a piece of crap... But I wasn't fooled for long.

Guy taught me that and it works great.

I learn something new almost every day, but then I forget also..... verb (furs, furring, furred) [with object] 1 (as adjective, often in combination furred) covered with or made from a particular type of fur: silky-furred lemurs. 2 British coat or clog with a deposit: the stuff that furs up coronary arteries. 3 fix strips of wood to (floor joists, wall studs, etc.) in order to level them or increase their depth.

Got the carbs, intake, header and thermostat all removed yesterday. You can clearly see the valve seat dropped down in #4 intake.... Once my chain wedge shows up I’ll get the head off.

Gotcha ! I might be expecting too much . I read somewhere - maybe here- using a winch handle and gear . Happy to have it mostly done anyways. Need to make a runner between the two stands . Need to get cracking on 4858 !

Beyond the name, if you look at the warning label on the container, it doesn't really look *that* much different than what's on something much more innocuous like acetone: https://goofoffproducts.com/product/pro-stripper-1-gallon/ http://www.kleanstrip.com/uploads/documents/J8132_J8133_GAC18.pdf The MSDS on the stripper makes it more clear that it's fairly nasty stuff, but those aren't on store shelves and even then, how many "normal" people know what the NFPA or HMIS labels mean? Banning is no good (though if this stuff is available at, say, Lowe's, I think there's an argument to be made about keeping the worst stuff away from the general public) but designing some better industry-standard labeling might be a worthy step to take.

I was out driving today, well taking a driving test I should say since everyday in O town is a driving test... anyway there was a crash (I don't like to use accidents as that would imply something that could not have been avoided) a crash in the middle of a limited access toll road no where near a exit or entrance. No rain, good visibility I mean WTF how do these idiot just run into each other. Anyway there was a lot of redirecting of traffic which made the think, how do self driving cars relate to the cop out there in the middle of the street giving hand signals? how does the car know its a cop? can it really be that good with visual cues? how about a good citizen that is trying to save lives vs the crack pot that wants to create havoc? once some tricky driving to get around the wreaks back on the road, I see a metal sign laying on the ground next to the hiway. Knowing a good wind could pick that right up I slow down and get away from it. So can a self driving car figure out when to take defensive measures like that. Can it tell the diff in a piece of harmless card board vs metal sheet. Is it smart enough to know its limits and slow down to take the time to figure it out? will it look behind and see the dope on the cell phone ready to rear end it if is does slow down? can it decide which is more likely to cause a problem? Will It look behind and see the idiot biker on a rice burner weaving in and out and take advasive action when the bike suddenly cut you off (I saw it coming and made it easy for the fool not to become an organ donor). On a day like today I am thankful that I am driving. Now this next statement will sound inflammatory and I really don't mean it that way. I had an epiphany, Low information drivers are ok with self driving since they themselves do not really take all the information that is out there into account in there own driving, therefore its easy to think a computer can duplicate the same level of awareness they are used to doing. Hi information drivers (drivers with good skill and experienced enough to be able to recognize and extrapolate possible outcomes) realize there is a lot more to driving than steering and braking. A set of algorithms will never really be able to do as long as there are unexpected problems, which there will always be. I would like to see more people get educated to become Hi information drivers.

Awesome sauce! Looks great and I have a similar setup going into my build. Nice to hear you are happy with it!

When it's buried you can't tell.

Okay, instead of an elephant's ear graft I guess an elephant's trunk sewed on would be close to OE. It'd be a lot smaller but it's all in how they use them. Hardy har har!

Installed crank for first time. Took a while taking all of the measurements of the journals and bearings but all was in spec and. Even the crank float was in the middle of the range. The hardest part was just the rear main side seals. Guy that anaerobic sealant is fluorescent pink! Crank turns silky smooth by hand. I have to pick up rod bolts from MSA when in Oregon to finish the job. Pistons are waiting.

Oh! your bad!!!! Elephant ears my Lily white a$$!!!

I have to be real careful, sometimes all that heat do a spontaneous combustion kinda deal. My peta just blows slap up! They say there's no more skin grafts left? I bet my dog would sacrifice one of his ears for me though. Might need a an elephants ear?

Several more inserts from my recent adventures, stolen from my UK thread for those interested. With fast road and Europe in mind we’re now in full swing piecing everything together to completely bring our suspension setup into the 21st Century. Rather fortunately my parents have had a last minute trip out to California where they were they were quite literally passing Techno Toy Tunings front door. A very last minute phone call the day after (4th July public holiday) when they reopened first thing in the morning and by chance they had all the bits I was after in stock. Order completed and all parts collected just before closing my dad even got a quick tour of the workshop the lucky sod! Some duffle bags packed later and we’ve certainly saved a few quid on shipping to say the least with some seriously robust quality parts turning up on Friday afternoon on their arrival home. Very handy being able to get some extra hold luggage space on the way back. We’ve decided to pick up some T3 Adjustable Lower Control Arms, T3 GTX2 Adjustable Front Lower Control Arms, Inner/Outer Tie rods and prothane steering rack bushes. I’ve only been able to have a brief look before to check it was all there before returning it to bubble wrap however the quality looks superb. All the remains on the suspension list for now is a Poly steering coupler to try and remove some more steering play, Anti Roll bar kit (1inch front ¾ rear) and suspension struts of some description. I think I’ve concluded coilovers will be the answer and will therefore be looking to source some suspension strut assembly’s to be sectioned however I’ve still not made my mind up as to who and how much. I may try and blag some rides in other members cars beforehand if possible, however it looks like I’m going to leave the current bits for one big swap and then only require one four wheel alignment and setup. It’s nice to say we’re finally doing something on our wish list for a change Here’s a few pics for now anyway. FullSizeRender (8) by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr FullSizeRender (9) by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr T3 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr T3.1 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr

New shift boot rubber to seal up the tunnel! Thanks Jim!

One product in particular that is commonly found in garages is Brake Cleaner, they are starting to produce milder versions but if it smells like dry cleaning fluid that is the Tetrachloroethylene. It's is pretty nasty on its own but if it is used as a metal cleaner before Mig or Tig welding it will react with the Argon and produce Phosgene gas...the stuff used to kill thousands in WW1.

Also, according to the FSM I should easily be able to drive from California to New York on a tank gas. You’re welcome. Phil Smith

I found fur in mine,